Injured veterans to exercise in bed

A NEW invention developed by a group of apprentices at engineering giant BAE Systems is set to revolutionise rehabilitation for injured servicemen and women by enabling them to exercise while lying flat in bed.

A NEW invention developed by a group of apprentices at engineering giant BAE Systems is set to revolutionise rehabilitation for injured servicemen and women by enabling them to exercise while lying flat in bed.

BedFleX is said to be an “innovative but ingeniously simple” device which adapts elasticated theratubing already used by physiotherapists in hospitals across the UK, to enable it to be used by patients independently from their beds. This ensures patients can continue to exercise, building muscle tone and strength and taking charge of their own recovery outside their formal physiotherapy sessions.

The device has already won a Government business award, and is expected to undergo further trials in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth hospital.

Sean Gallagher, who led the team of apprentices from BAE Systems’ military aircraft business at Warton in Lancashire, said: “Our gadget was designed as part of the company’s Apprentice Innovation Challenge – an annual competition to engineer something for a charity or community organisation to use.

“It was a really simple device but something that no-one else had thought of. It’s been brilliant to see the servicemen and women using it.”